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January 26, 2016 (Montreal, QC) – This weekend, Jan. 30-31, will see fat bike fans gather in Bromont, QC, one hour east of Montreal, for the inaugural Quebec Fat Bike Provincial Championships. The discipline was only incorporated into the Quebec Cycling Federation (FQSC) calendar last year. In addition to crowning the best fat bike athletes from the Belle Province, this event will be part of the Mahikan series, which includes four stops, including one at Lac-Saint-Jean (Roberval, QC) and two in Italy (Bardonecchia and Alassio).

Fat biking, initially embraced only by a handful of cyclists, is now increasingly popular. “With the growing popularity of this discipline by our members, especially among mountain bikers, it became natural for the FQSC to offer a calendar of events during the winter season,” says Louis Barbeau, General Manager of the FQSC. “Fat biking allows those who wish, to practice cycling all year round.”

“Although fat biking tends to be recreational, competitiveness is always present for many of our cyclists. It therefore became quite natural to present the first edition of the Quebec Fat Bike Championships. This event is organized by the Bromont National Cycling Centre,” he added along with his confidence in the experienced organizing committee.

The event will be featured as a 30-minute news story and broadcast later on the RDS2 TV chain.

What is fat biking?

Faced with the harsh reality of winter, many riders take refuge in their basements on their stationary bikes. Despite the plummeting mercury and heavy snowfall, some adventurous riders disregard the threatening winter weather and icy conditions. This is where the fat bike’s arrival, and it’s tank-like feel, has been a welcome reinforcement to brave winter.

Designed in the 1980s in Alaska, fat bikes allow cycling enthusiasts to keep riding in winter despite the difficult weather conditions and unstable terrain. Since its creation, artisans and manufacturers have perfected and commercialized fat bikes. This “revised and improved” mountain bike eventually found its way to Quebec markets in about 2010. In just five years, the trend has snowballed; the number of new converts has skyrocketed, many companies have embarked on the adventure, and events have increased to meet growing demand. In a sense this means that the north wind is figuratively pushing fat biking along.